Puntos de Interés
Information
Utxesa environmental information ‘La Carpintería’
The Utxesa environmental information centre, known as ‘La Carpintería’, is one of the main visitor and interpretation centres along the River Segre and Utxesa Reservoir Nature Trail. The building is housed in a building once used for maintenance services for the hydroelectric power station and the hydraulic infrastructure of the reservoir and the Seròs Canal. Its restoration has made it possible to preserve part of the area’s industrial heritage and transform it into a space dedicated to environmental education.
The exterior of the building has a simple, functional design, with stone and brick walls, large windows and a pitched tiled roof. Surrounded by pine forests, the complex blends into the landscape of the reservoir and retains the appearance of the old ancillary buildings for the hydraulic and industrial infrastructure of the early 20th century.
Inside, the space has been converted into a visitors’ centre for the wildlife and wetland ecosystems of Utxesa. The main hall retains its original metal beams and structural elements, combined with information panels, audiovisual displays and recreations of natural habitats. The exhibition features models of birds, riverside vegetation and educational resources that help visitors understand the ecological importance of the reservoir and the River Segre.
These types of centres play a vital role in protected natural areas, as they enable visitors to learn about the area’s biodiversity and history before setting off along the trails, to observation points and to wetlands. In the case of Utxesa, “La Carpintería” also helps to shed light on the close relationship between water, hydroelectric power generation and the agricultural transformation of the landscape.
The Utxesa reservoir, originally created as a regulating reservoir for the Seròs hydroelectric power station, eventually became one of the most valuable wetlands in inland Catalonia and a key site for observing waterbirds and migratory birds.